Dubai Airshow
Su-75 Checkmate: Putin’s new stealth air superiority fighter goes on sales
A mock-up can be seen at the fair, but the first prototypes are already being built.
© Giuseppe Cacae / AFP
The Su-75 is to win customers at the Dubai Airshow. The Sukhoi is an invisible attacker and is offered at a competitive price. A special perfume was created for the trade fair hype.
Just recently, Russia presented a model of its single-engine stealth fighter for the first time. Now the Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate was presented with a big show at the Dubai Airshow. The jet shown is a model and not an airworthy machine. The Sukhoi Su-75 will be presented in its own hall with the same lavish light show as it was in Moscow. Little extra: There is now even a special perfume as a give-away.
The Checkmate is primarily intended for export. Since the US under Trump has given up its reluctance to sell the F-35, the Russian fourth-generation fighter jets have a hard time in the international market. The Su-75 Checkmate is intended to close the gap and offer an inexpensive, powerful alternative to the US jet.
The MiG-21 of the future
The Su-75 is now designed as a light single-engine, single-seat fighter jet. It is primarily intended as an attack and air superiority fighter. Their role would correspond to the MiG-21 in the 1960s. It should not realize what is technically possible, but rather become a price-performance winner. An aircraft that promises a lot of combat power at low acquisition and operating costs.
In fact, the Su-75 would be a game changer, except for the older F-22 Raptor from the USA, there would be no adequate counterpart. Parent company Rostec promises stealth properties, but obviously takes a different approach than with the F-35. There is as much stealth as possible as long as the excellent flight characteristics are not compromised. It is hard to say how difficult it will be to detect the Su-75 on the radar. The outer shape gives an impression of the radar shadow, but the performance of the equally important coating can hardly be assessed in this way.
The Su-75 will use one of the Izdeliye 30 engines intended for the Su-57. The Su-75 should be able to fight six targets simultaneously and be able to accommodate the entire arsenal of the Su-57. This includes long-range air-to-air missiles but also hyper-sonic anti-ship missiles. The pilots are supported by artificial intelligence. In the future, the manufacturer will also present a pilotless version of the aircraft. With the light fighter aircraft, Rostec has again a real air superiority fighter in its range. In addition, there is the ability to destroy a fleet or carrier through the use of hypersonic weapons, which can hardly be defended against.
Rapid speed
The speed at which the machine is developing is also exciting. It was shown for the first time about six months ago. There was no advance notice, the Su-75 appeared out of nowhere. The construction of the first prototypes has since begun, according to Juri Slyusar, General Director of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). He said at the presentation in Dubai: “I would like to note that the Komsomolsk plant has started building some prototypes for the first series.”
The maiden flight of the prototypes is planned for 2023. Only two years after the machine’s first sign of life. In contrast to the Su-57, the prototypes are no longer experimented with. After a comparatively short trial, it should go into series production. The first deliveries are scheduled to begin as early as 2026, five years after the presentation. A comparison with the European project of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) from Airbus shows how rapid the pace of development is. The presentation took place here in 2019, the first aircraft will be delivered from 2040. Significant delays are likely. The fast pace can be explained when you consider that the single-engine Su-75 is based on the larger Su-57, it is more or less a variant of an existing jet.
Interest in Russia too
Russia wants to export the fifth generation jet at fourth generation prices. Checkmate prices start at $ 25 million to $ 30 million. A comparable F-35 currently costs 90 million. Modifications for the customer are not included in these prices. The F-35 is intended for a very wide range of tasks, including its aerial combat capabilities. Above all, however, the F-35 is a “computer that can also fly”. But it is precisely the capabilities of networked combat that are still not mastered with the F-35. It is quite conceivable that the Su-75, with its slim range of applications, can be fully operational much faster than the demanding US machine.
Although the Su-75 is primarily intended for export, the state-run Russian news agency TASS reports that the Russian armed forces are also interested in the aircraft. The CEO of the defense company Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, said: “Of course we want some. We recently discussed with the defense minister that the armed forces must state their requirements for the configuration of the jet.” In addition to the United Emirates, Turkey is also being advertised as a buyer.
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